When it is desired to supply, to processing laboratories, products in strip form, such as photographic paper, it is preferable to use strips of very great length, for example approximately 2000 m, in order to allow effective use of the photographic printers. Various solutions have been proposed for supplying such rolls. The patent FR-A-2 658 156 describes a package comprising a light-tight enclosure supported by a base of the pallet type in order to be able to be moved by a fork lift. This package comprises at least one cantilever spindle onto which the rolls to be supplied are introduced. A locking device immobilises the strips during their transportation. In the embodiment depicted this locking is obtained by expansion of the diameter of the spindle. No system is provided to prevent the closure of the doors as long as the rollers are not immobilised on the spindle.
The patent FR-A-2 663 007 describes a package comprising essentially a base adapted to handling by a fork lift, a light-tight enclosure and a cantilever spindle designed to receive rolls of products in strip form. In this document, the package is closed by an end cover which can be fixed to the spindle. The spindle is provided with immobilisation devices associated with each of the rolls by increasing the diameter of the spindle, these devices being controlled from outside. Such a device enables the door to be reclosed without there being any need to lock the rolls since this operation can be performed once the container is closed. However, this arrangement may prove defective since the door can be closed without the operation of locking the rolls having been performed and the operator may forget to perform this operation. In addition, since this locking operation is controlled from outside, it may happen that locking has indeed been effected but that subsequently an unlocking operation has taken place.
The patent FR-A-2 731 527 describes a package of the same type as those described previously, having means internal to the container for driving the rolls towards the outside of the container. Nothing is mentioned with regard to the locking of the rolls.